Our adventure in the World Showcase began in Mexico! As soon as we walked into the Mexico Pavilion we were greeted by a surprise guest – Donald Duck! Lily was so excited! The line was very short so we jumped right in! Donald Duck #1!
We arrived in time to see the Mariachi band (1pm) and toured some of the vendors. Chris and Lily loved the theme and we will have to make a reservation at San Angel Inn in a future trip! The atmosphere is cool and tranquil.
We headed over to Norway for our 1:35pm reservation for Princess Storybook Dining at Akershus. Lily was going to be in for a big surprise! She had been begging to meet some characters! After we checked in, we rounded the corner in the lobby and guess who waiting to meet Lily – Belle in her gorgeous yellow dress!
We were seated in the main dining area. It was lovely inside – the flags, the large arched windows, the big wooden beams! Our waitress came by and introduced herself – Anna! Chris and I each ordered a Carlsberg Draft Beer. I also ordered us each a Linie Aquavit Glacier Shot. Our waitress asked if we ever had it before and of course, we had not!
I had read that it was the drink of choice in Norway so I was interested in trying it. It reminded me of Sambuca and is made to sip not shoot. It was strong! Chris went to the Taste of Norway buffet and selected us some Scandinavian seafood, imported cheeses, cured and sliced meats, and a vast selection of salads and fruits to share!
Chris chose the Grilled Beef Sandwich – Thinly Sliced Beef Sirloin, Roasted Shallot Mayonnaise, Caramelized Onions, Crumbled Blue Cheese, and Warm Potato Salad.
Per the waitress’ recommendation, I ordered the Pan-seared Salmon with Potato and Celery Hash, Salmon Bacon, and Maple Gastrique. It was a nice, light choice for lunch. Lily had a very Norwegian dish – pizza!
All of the food was good. I know that breakfast in Norway is a popular choice for less adventurous diners, but we enjoyed lunch. Chris liked his sandwich but it was his least favorite meal in the entire trip. In his words, he thought it was a little “slapped together.” However the real draw at Akershus are the princesses! Lily had a wonderful time meeting Aurora, Cinderella, Ariel, and Snow White. Princess Aurora was our first princess to come by the table and she really stole the show! She was so interactive and friendly! Lily was a little shy but loved every minute! I need to download the princess pictures off of my Nikon and I will add them later! We enjoyed our dessert medley and the waitress brought Lily a birthday card signed by all of the princesses. After lunch we rode the Maelstrom. It was a quirky, vintage ride. I am sad to hear they are removing it but excited to see what type of Frozen ride will take its place.
Next we went to China to see the Jeweled Dragon Acrobats (3pm) and meet Mulan! The acrobats were amazing and Lily really enjoyed the show! Mulan is one of Lily’s favorite movies and she was very excited to meet this brave princess!
Very dark clouds began rolling in and we were hit with the start of some nasty weather. We broke out our Target ponchos and just went with the flow. The nice thing about rainy weather while in the World Showcase is that there are so many shops to sneak into to stay dry.
We bypassed Germany since we would be heading back there for dinner and headed to the American Pavillion for the Spirit of American Fife and Drum Corps. It was patriotic…reminded me of my childhood in New England. We also saw the Voices of Liberty. Lily crashed in the stroller while we were enjoying the shows so we decided to find somewhere to let her sleep while we waited out the storm. The patio at the Spice Road Table in Morocco was empty so we headed there for a cocktail.
They were very accommodating and we parked the stroller off to the side at a cozy table on the patio and were greeted by a friendly waiter. Chris selected a Moroccan beer – Ambar Especial.
I chose the Cyprus Sun – Almond Liqueur, Cream de Coco, Orange Juice and Coconut Milk. It was insanely good! Cool and creamy like dessert in a glass!
I was a tiny bit hungry and wanted to try one of their small plates. The waiter recommended the mussels. They were slightly spicy and the perfect, light appetizer to carry us over until dinner.
Lily woke up and we decided to explore a bit more before dinner. We headed to France! France is the country of study this year at Lily’s school and we wanted to bring home some souvenirs for the class. When we headed into the gift shop where learned that Belle was next door! We bought a children’s book of French words and a small flag of France and headed to the meet and greet. They were just wrapping up the meet and greet and I kindly asked if we could get a signature but did not need to see her in person and explained the class gift to the CM. He loved the idea of Belle signing the French book for the class and he arranged for us to wait off to the side. Belle came over and was so sweet. She signed the book – Bonjour Belle! What a great keepsake for Lily’s Kindergarten class!
We also picked up some French butter cookies for the class and Lily sampled some white chocolate – which she LOVED! Next we headed to Italy! Lily made a wish in the fountain and it was time to head to Germany for dinner! We made a pit stop in Japan and picked up some citrus candy. Japan has the BEST gift shops!
Off to Germany! This is one of the MOST charming counties! I love the Bavarian details and architecture! We toured the shops and wanted some caramel popcorn but the line was so long! Next time! The smells in Germany were heavenly!
We had a 7:30pm reservation at Biergarten. There was quite a good crowd waiting to be seated. This made me a little nervous since I had timed dinner so that we would be finishing our meal and could enjoy the last show over dessert, then head to watch IllumiNations. Chris grabbed us a round of beers at Sommerfest and we patiently waited. At about 7:55pm, we were finally lead to our table. I was slightly disappointed that we were almost the last table off to the side. However, it was fine…we would just go up front to see the show. On vacation you have to just go with the flow and make the most of every situation! We ordered a liter of beer to share and made our way to the buffet. I love the details on the china!
The band was about to start as we were heading back to our table. Instead of eating, Lily and I went down to the floor to watch the show. We came back to the table to eat and asked for our checks so that we could make it outside in time to see the fireworks. The entertainment was excellent and I really enjoyed twirling with Lily on the dance floor.
We decided to share dessert since we were so full and decided to sample EVERYTHING! 🙂
Overall, the beer was good, the dinner selections were satisfying, and the entertainment was not to be missed. However due to the wait, I felt a little rushed. We also were those lucky people that were sat with a very nice family – that must of had a slight case of bronchitis because the grandmother and two children coughed the entire meal. Without covering their mouths. Uggggghhhh. All in all, I would eat at Biergarten again…I would just plan my reservation for earlier then when I really wanted to be seated – since it is communal seating they cannot guarantee your table will be ready. I would also request that we get a table in front of the band. I think that it would be worth the extra potential wait.
We headed outside to watch IllumiNations! We got a great spot at the railing right on the water outside of Germany. It was a very symbolic and special show!
It was the perfect end to the day! Even though it was EMH, we decided to make our way out of the park. We caught another fireworks show in the distance too! When we passed China, we saw a vendor selling children’s umbrellas. If today’s weather was any indication about the rest of the trip, we thought it would be a good idea to grab one for Lily. She chose the peacock! So cute!
We decided to head back towards Mexico, ride the The Three Caballeros, and grab a margarita before calling it a night!
Before leaving EPCOT we grabbed one last family picture! We were exhausted, happy, wet, full, and elated after our first day in the Walt Disney Worlds parks!
We headed back to our resort and checked into our room! We loved it! I was so excited to see the cute Mickey shaped towel! Welcome to WDW!
We got Lily showered and into the bed! She fell right to sleep! We had a BIG day planned for the next day! Then Tinkerbell paid a quick visit and we all went to sleep!
UP NEXT!!!!! The Magic Kingdom!
My First Disney Vacation 